What is hong kong like

Next to a shiny new skyscraper sits an old dilapidated apartment building. Sitting underneath towering buildings is an ancient looking temple. One of the more informative and enjoyable activities I did in Hong Kong was to take a free walking tour offered by a colleague and friend of mine: Virginia of Humid With a Chance of Fishballs yep — not a typo. During the tour, she shared various interesting pieces of trivia, but the following story was my favourite:.

The consultant actually said that building was a bit too symmetrical and perfect, which inspired the giant atrium at the bottom, with two off-centre escalators taking visitors up to the lobby — a gorgeous piece of design work unto itself. The designer the same fella who designed the Louvre in Paris refused to use a feng shui consultant, and as a result all kinds of things are wrong with the place.

This is serious stuff; apparently the very same week this building opened, the stock market crashed. It gets better.

They look like cannons. Two sets of cannons, pointing directly at the buildings on either side. I found this story absolutely hilarious. I mean — can you imagine! What a fabulous sense of humour — a big serious bank constructing cannons pointing at neighbouring competitors! This is Kowloon park; a giant park — aviary and flamingos and everything — built atop a shopping centre.

Big mistake. A minute taxi ride from just about anywhere in the city will take you to some sort of hiking trail. When a friend found out through Facebook that I was in Hong Kong, he sent me a note with pictures and recommendations from his own hiking experiences that made me immediately regret not doing more research before my trip.

Here are some of my beefs with the place:. Everything is built up into the sky, and down into the ground. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Most people know Hong Kong as an international financial hub , business center, shopping paradise, and tourist destination. However, the region's identity crisis and resistance to Beijing's interference are at the heart of the civil unrest in the former British colony.

Pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong would like the region to remain different from other Chinese cities. So is Hong Kong a de facto country or is it truly a part of China?

As with many things in Hong Kong, the answer is not clear-cut. The relationship between Hong Kong and mainland China is far more complex than most people realize. It involves politics, economics , trade, laws, and, above all, the people. Mainland China and Hong Kong complement each other economically. However, their political differences remain entrenched.

The century-long separation between the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong created gaps that cannot be easily bridged even if the two are officially one country. Before Hong Kong and mainland China can truly unify, they must overcome significant differences. To understand the root of Hong Kong's separation from the mainland, one must go back to the Opium Wars between Great Britain and China — During these military and trade clashes, China was forced to cede Hong Kong Island and a part of Kowloon to Great Britain in perpetuity.

In , Britain negotiated a major land expansion of the Hong Kong colony and signed a year lease with China. Under the doctrine of "one country, two systems," China allowed the former colony to continue to govern itself and maintain many independent systems for a period of 50 years. The Basic Law defines the limited autonomy of Hong Kong.

Owing to its colonial history, English is one of Hong Kong's official languages. Officially known as the People's Republic of China, this East Asian country is the world's most populous , with a population of more than 1. China is governed by the Chinese Communist Party, which has jurisdiction over 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four direct-controlled municipalities, and the SARs of both Hong Kong and Macau. China built its economy on heavy industry development, ramping up the country's industrial and service output over the years.

Of late, consumer demand has driven growth. However, after a tougher , in which the nation was embroiled in a trade war with the United States, the Chinese economy grew at its slowest pace in 28 years. Perhaps the most significant difference between mainland China and Hong Kong is that the mainland is communist and controlled by a single party while Hong Kong has a limited democracy. Both share the President of China as their chief of state.

However, each has its own head of government: The premier is the head of mainland China, while the chief executive is the head of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The chief executive is accountable to the Central People's Government. The term of the chief executive is for five years, and any person can serve for a maximum of two consecutive terms.

Despite the separation in systems and rights guaranteed by the Basic Law, the mainland Chinese government does assert itself in local Hong Kong politics.

Protesters complained that only those candidates who aligned their interests with China would be allowed to run. The "Umbrella Protests," as they were known, failed to achieve any concessions from Beijing.

Hong Kong also has its own legal and judicial systems including a proprietary police force , district organizations with no political power , and public servants, broadly based on the British common law model.

However, for land tenure and family matters, Hong Kong reverts to the Chinese customary law model. In , Hong Kongers protested against an extradition bill that would have allowed residents to be sent to mainland China. It was eventually suspended and withdrawn by the chief executive. Critics feared the bill would undermine the region's judicial system.

In this article, we take a look at everything you need to know about moving to and living in Hong Kong as an expat in We cover the practical details expats should consider before making the move, including upfronts and living costs, the visa requirements to live and work in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong tax system and where to live. Read below to find out what life in Hong Kong is like in Moving and living anywhere new is bound to offer some unique challenges, and Hong Kong is no exception.

The total population in Hong Kong was estimated at 7. Your living expenses in Hong Kong will depend on the circumstances of your move, as your costs will be different depending on whether you move on your own or with a family with kids.

Here is a summary of potential cost of living in Hong Kong in , according to Numbeo :. In general, yes. Hong Kong is an advanced economy with very low rates of crime across the city. Thefts, assaults and burglaries occur as in any other city, and organised crime is a wider issue for the city.

However, overall, crime levels are comparatively low and decreasing. Hong Kong managed to avoid the worst of the pandemic. As of April , Hong Kong had around 11, cases and deaths, which is low compared to its population of 7. Some scientists believe this is because Hong Kong was quick to implement policies of quarantining, mask-wearing and working from home — lessons that East Asia had already learned during the previous SARS outbreak.

Hong Kong did experience a number of severe spikes in cases throughout and , but was quick to respond to these. Recently, Hong Kong has implemented free mass testing and vaccinations for all residents. However, this unique status has led to some political tension. Some Hongkongers have argued that the Hong Kong government, under the direction of the Chinese Communist Party, has started to encroach on their democratic freedoms.

This has led to widespread protests throughout the city since In response, the Hong Kong government passed the Hong Kong national security law in , which effectively bans acts of protest and also limits foreign interference within the region. These laws also apply to non-native residents of Hong Kong. It is becoming increasingly unlikely that protest activity will affect the lives of expats living in the city.

Hong Kong has taken advantage of its unique history to transform itself into a prosperous and modern environment. It is an extremely wealthy part of the world and home to the seventh-greatest number of billionaires of any region worldwide. For that reason, you can expect to find lots of modern-day luxuries such as high-end shops and malls, world-class restaurants and top-of-the-range apartment complexes.

Like any city, Hong Kong has two sides. Before you move to Hong Kong, make sure you shop around the rental property market to find a home that is spacious with all the modern amenities you and your family will need. Finding good accommodation at the right price can be a challenge for expats and most people migrating to Hong Kong should expect to pay a sizeable share of their income towards rent and other living costs.

Prices can range quite significantly by area. Popular expat areas, such as Mid-Levels on Hong Kong Island, or Discovery Bay , are in particularly high demand among expat families with young children, because of their location close to expat schools and high-density expat communities. Except for serviced apartments, most rental accommodation is unfurnished , but often includes appliances.

Because Hong Kong is a hub of industry and commerce, job opportunities are usually in abundance. That said, with so much global talent flowing into this region, competition for the top jobs can be fierce. As the home of many multinational companies, the dominant industries within Hong Kong include banking and finance, IT, advertising and HR. Another industry that is in particularly high demand is teaching. Check out our guide on how to find an expat job, and a list of most popular jobs for expats.

Marketing, project management and software engineering jobs also offer good salaries, many of which are in the region you would expect to find in London, New York and other global cities.

Ultimately, if you are looking to grow your career while earning a good salary, Hong Kong could be the perfect place to do it. Check out our latest guide on international career opportunities. While the local language of Hong Kong is officially Cantonese , English is the de facto second language and employees of international companies will often speak English at work.

Hong Kongers have worried since about losing their distinct character and legal system built on British common law that made it a haven for people fleeing political upheaval in the mainland. Under the new law, street protest is all but impossible, internet providers can be ordered by the police to take down content , and journalists face arbitrary visa rejections. More territory was ceded after China lost a subsequent war. Some decades later, Britain significantly increased the size of Hong Kong when it signed a year lease for land known as the New Territories.

So why did Britain return Hong Kong to China? Part of the reason was that though Hong Kong Island and Kowloon were ceded in perpetuity, it would have been untenable to split the colony and only return the New Territories.

The whole territory would have to be returned to Beijing. The Sino-British Joint Declaration set the terms for the handover. Many people still have British National Overseas BNO passports, a travel document that offered entry but not citizenship. With the arrival of the security law, many democracy activists, see Britain as a new base for Hong Kong activism , even if a flawed one.